MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday 15 December, 2009
Barnett Government declares war on public sector workers and
services
The report of the Economic Audit Committee released by Premier Colin Barnett and Treasurer Troy
Buswell today confirms that the State Government has declared war on its own employees and the
vital services they provide to the community.
The radical report has recommended that the State Government cease to provide essential public
services, such as health, education, community safety and child protection and instead be a
facilitator of private sector service provision.
The report also recommends giving the State Government the power to involuntarily terminate the
employment of public sector workers and recommends an overhaul of minimum standards and the
award safety net.
UnionsWA Secretary Simone McGurk said the Barnett Government had finally shown its true
colours.
“Colin Barnett has masqueraded as a benign, middle-of-the-road, non-threatening Premier, but his
government has now shown its true colours, Ms McGurk said.
“Today, the Barnett Government has been revealed as a radical economic rationalist outfit, who are
more concerned with providing their mates in business with opportunities than they are with the
welfare of their own employees and the important services they provide the community.
“Make no mistake, the recommendations in today’s report signal that the Barnett Government
wants to see our nurses, teachers, police officers, child protection workers and other service
providers phased out of the public sector and replaced by business people.
“This will be a disaster for the standard of vital health, education, community safety, child protection
and other services in Western Australia, as the primary responsibility of service providers employed
by business will be to their shareholders, rather than the community.”
The report’s release coincided with a mass meeting of delegates from Western Australia’s public
sector unions, who came together today for the first time in almost ten years to defend WA workers
from a hostile State Government.
More than 250 delegates from unions representing health, education, community safety, child
protection and other public sector workers met today to discuss the State Government’s ongoing
assault on public sector workers and services.
In addition to the radical Economic Audit Committee report released today, the State Government
plans to introduce WorkChoices-style changes to WA workplace laws, with this coming on top of Mr
Buswell’s arbitrary 3 per cent budget cuts.
Also occurring today was UnionsWA’s launching of an online game that challenges competitors to
prevent Troy Buswell from introducing WorkChoices-style changes into Western Australian work
places.
WorkChoices in WA campaign, which was launched in September to build public awareness of the
State Government’s planned changes to WA’s industrial relations laws. The campaign includes a
series of television commercials to highlight the threat to more than 300,000 workers remaining in
the State industrial relations system.
Ms McGurk said the No WorkChoices in WA campaign would be run until the State Government
guaranteed that it would:
Not introduce WorkChoices style individual contracts in Western Australia;
Not erode minimum standards or the award safety net system in Western Australian
workplaces;
Maintain the role of the WA Industrial Relations Commission as the independent umpire;
Maintain protections against unfair dismissal; and
Maintain and improve public services in WA.
Ends.
MEDIA CONTACT: Simone McGurk 0407 199 890
NEWS 
